About

I am a part-time Senior Lecturer in Psychology and my main focus is teaching on the foundation and undergraduate psychology modules.

Teaching responsibilities

I lead and teach on the foundation module Fundamentals of Applied Psychology. I have also contributed to the Fundamentals of Human Behaviour, Psychology in the Modern World, Does Psychology Matter, Quantitative Methods and Individual Differences, and Anomalistic Psychology and Parapsychology modules. I also supervise dissertations as part of the Independent Study module.

Research interests

I am interested in the psychology of the paranormal, more technically known as anomalistic psychology and parapsychology. I have a particular interest in hauntings and apparitions and experimental investigations of dream ESP. I am also interested in the borderline states between waking and sleep, known as the hypnagogic and hypnopompic states, during which anomalous experiences, such as sleep paralysis, can occur.

Membership of professional bodies

• British Psychological Society (BPS) – Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol)
• Parapsychological Association (full member)
• The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) (member)

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Psychology – University of Portsmouth
• MSc Occupational Psychology – University of Sheffield
• PhD Psychology – University of Edinburgh
• PGCTHE – University College Northampton
• FHEA – University of Northampton/HEA

Recent conferences

I have presented at the Parapsychological Association and Society for Psychical Research conferences, most recently on ghostly phenomena and the characteristics of people who have and have not experienced it.

Experience in industry

I have previously been employed as an Audit Officer and carried out an audit of next-of-kin satisfaction with a hospital autopsy service.

International experience

I was Programme Chair and Conference Proceedings Editor for the 2008 Parapsychological Association annual convention, held that year in conjunction with the Society for Psychical Research. I have previously been invited to lecture on the summer study program in parapsychology at the Rhine Research Center in Durham, NC, USA.

Recent publications

Some examples of my publications are as follows:

• Storm, L., Sherwood, S. J., Roe, C. A., Tressoldi, P. E., Rock, A. J., & Di Risio, L. (2017). On the correspondence between dream content and target material under laboratory conditions: A meta-analysis of dream-ESP studies, 1966-2016. International Journal of Dream Research, 10(2), 120-140
• Hitchman, G. A. M., Pfeuffer, C. U. Roe, C. A., & Sherwood, S. J. (2016). The effects of experimenter-participant interaction qualities in a goal-oriented nonintentional precognition task. Journal of Parapsychology, 80, 45-69
• Sherwood, S. J. (2013). Haunted Northamptonshire. Northampton: Black Shuck Press
• Sherwood, S. J., & Roe, C. A. (2013). An updated review of dream ESP studies conducted since the Maimonides dream ESP programme. In S. Krippner, A. J. Rock, J. Beischel, H. L. Friedman, & C. L. Fracasso (Eds.), Advances in parapsychological research 9 (pp. 38-81). Jefferson, NC: McFarland
• Sherwood, S. J. (2012). A web survey of the content, sensory modalities and interpretation of hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences. Journal of Parapsychology, 76, 27-55
• Roe, C. A., & Sherwood, S. J. (2010). Evidence for extrasensory perception in dream content: A review of experimental studies. In S. Krippner, & D. Joffe Ellis (Ed.), Perchance to dream (pp. 211-238). Hauppage, NY: Nova Science
• Sherwood, S. J. (2010). Apparitions of Black Dogs. In M. D. Smith (Ed.), Anomalous experiences: Essays from parapsychological and psychological perspectives (pp. 120-135). Jefferson, NC: McFarland
• Sherwood, S. J. (2008). Deathbed apparitions. In, S. Earle, C. Bartholomew, & C. Komaromy (Eds.), Making sense of death, dying and bereavement: An anthology (pp. 192-194). London: Sage
• Sherwood, S. J., & Milner, M. E. (2004-2005). The relationship between transliminality and boundary structure subscales. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 24, 369-378